Donohue Killer Sentenced

Conses Garcia Zacarias apologizes to the Donohue family for his actions prior to being sentenced for causing the deaths of a mother and daughter last summer in Brewster. Eric Gross “There is no crime so harrowing. Your truck became a lethal weapon causing death and destruction that changed the lives of a loving and caring family forever. May God have mercy on your soul but this court will not grant you mercy and will impose the maximum sentence allowed by law.”

Those were the words of Putnam County Judge James Rooney Wednesday when sentencing Conses Garcia Zacarias to 8 1/3 to 25 years in state prison for causing the deaths of a Brewster woman and her daughter last summer.

Zacarias pleaded guilty in November to two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide in connection with the deaths of Lori Donohue, 37 and her eight year old daughter Kayla, who were leaving a dance studio at the intersection of Routes 6 and 22 when they were run down and killed by the 35- year-old illegal immigrant from Guatemala who was driving with a blood alcohol threshold of more than twice the legal limit for intoxication.

Judge Rooney’s chambers were packed with members of the Donohue family as well as friends and well wishers who wept and hugged each other prior to the proceedings and after the sentencing had taken place.

John Luhrs, Lori’s father, holding back tears, placed family photographs of his daughter and granddaughter on a table before the judge. “This is a parent’s worst nightmare. In an instant our lives have been tragically changed from a family filled with love and joy to a family facing a life of despair. Our hearts have been ripped from our bodies and our pain will last forever all because a man with total disregard of the laws of our country and blatant disregard of human decency and life decided to drive while intoxicated and mow down our girls,” he told the court.

Robert Donohue, Lori’s husband, also addressed the court, telling the judge that not only did he lose his soul-mate and precious daughter but “my son Christopher also lost his mommy and best friend. Daddy’s little girl who brought us sunshine and high hopes for the future is gone. We are now faced with lifelong heartache and sorrow.”

Defense counsel Timothy J. Curtiss of Carmel told the court the crime was “not one of intent. Drinking and driving is a criminal problem of great magnitude. My client takes full responsibility for his actions and has been remorseful because he understands that he caused the deaths of two people. He is married and is the father of two young children and can’t imagine what it must be like to lose a daughter.”

Judge Rooney asked Zacarias if he wished to address the court. Speaking through an interpreter, the shackled and manacled prisoner said: “I ask for their forgiveness and am sorry for what happened in Brewster.”

Zacarias admitted having consumed “four or five beers” before the tragic crash. He also told the court that he had the permission of the vehicle’s owner to use the white pick-up truck that slammed into the victims.

In imposing the maximum sentence allowed by law, Judge Rooney told the court, “moments before that fateful crash, a mother and daughter were filled with hopes, dreams, aspirations, and bright futures. Instead their lives were abruptly taken away because a man decided to drive out of control while highly intoxicated.”

Rooney added: “No sentence can undo the pain the Donohue family endures every day.”

Outside the courthouse, York called the case one of the most disturbing he has ever prosecuted: “I have investigated 60 homicides in my 26 years of working for district attorneys in both Putnam and Westchester and this was the first time when I got home I couldn’t get to sleep. It was a terribly horrific scene.”

York thanked the judge for imposing the maximum period of incarceration: “No sentence would ever bring Lori and Kayla back but justice has been served.

Zacarias faces deportation once he completes his prison term in a maximum security penitentiary.